I'm More Than You Know
by Wapomeo Huntress
Summary: Despite being the youngest of her family, Jacelyn Jones has managed to find herself a viable canidate for the throne. She also happens to keep the company of a thief and outlaw of her biggest political enemy around for funsies. (Robin Hood/OC AU)
1. Chapter 1

Jace stared out at the sea of competitors on the lawn in front of her viewing box. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as another clownishly dressed lord stepped up to the shooting line and tried to hit the bull's eye of a target. Several had claimed it impossible and if she had one more complain, she was stepping onto the pitch and shooting the target herself, just to prove a point. She picked at the cloth on her dress that was starting to stick to her leg, the pre summer heat wasn't being particularly tolerable today. Jace had barely registered that the three arrows the lord was allotted had hit the target everywhere but the bulls eye. Jace leaned back and resisted the urge to ask her mother how many more she had to sit through. But the lord on the pitch began to complain and that was enough for Jace. She stood up and began tying up her dress. Her mother knew better than to question what came next, so she simply sat quietly and do whatever Jace had planned on doing to the poor man. She looked down at the guard standing in front of her.

"Joseph, I do recommend you move unless you want me to land on you." She said. He looked up at her.

"Your highness, I must advise against this," he started to say.

"Just move, I have a point to make." Jace said with a tone that indicated that she wasn't budging on the issue. Joseph reluctantly stepped aside, which left room for Jace to launch herself over the railing of their sitting box and onto the green space. With her dress tied for battle she strode over to the quiver of arrows and placed her hand out. "The bow being used?" she asked. The lord, slightly in shock handed the bow over. Jace rolled the grip in her hand and put it in her left hand. Grabbing an arrow, she notched it and aimed, firing at full force. Bulls eye, another arrow, another bulls eye, and once more with feeling, another bulls eye. She set the bow against the quiver and glared at the field of competitors. "It can be done." She said with such force it terrified some of the other nobles. She strode back over to the viewing box and pulled herself back into to it. She untied her dress and smoothed it down before sitting down, putting her glare back on. Her mother looked over at her with only a hint of exasperation.

"Was that necessary Jace?"

"Yes mother, they were getting on my nerves." She said as her eyes didn't leave the green.

"Well, if everything and everyone that got on your nerves got the classic "Jacelyn show up" treatment, then our kingdom will never know peace under you." Her mother stated. Jace knew she wasn't wrong, but it was an unfair point.

"Mother, you know I only use the show up treatment on the petty things. Things where the biggest thing at stake is a damaged ego." Jace clarified. The castle crier claimed that this particular part of the festivities was over. Jace stood up and left their box, greeted immediately by her two Wolfhounds who hadn't been allowed in due to how small the box was. They danced around her and Jace chuckled at their antics. "Alright, you two calm down!" She said through her laughs. One immediately sat on her right and one immediately to her left. She scratched the head of the one on the right. "Hello Leviathan," then the left, "hello Valhalla." After both received their attention, Jace walked and they trotted at her side. She came up to one of the girls who worked in the kitchen who today was running a cookie stand.

"Heard the commotion from back here, what'd you happen to do this time your highness?" She asked. Jace chuckled at her exaggeration.

"Ruby, I just showed up a couple of noble men, who really needed showing up anyway." Jace said. Ruby chuckled.

"Your highness, I don't understand how you plan to run a country."

"Magic, adhesive, and a shit ton of luck." Jace answered. The girls laughed at this when Jace looked over at a little boy sitting on a rock. He didn't seem to have anyone actively looking for him and he didn't seemed troubled by being on his own. Jace tilted her ears to the trees as she listened closely to them. She focused in and heard whistles. Two short and a long. "Ruby do you hear that?" She asked. Ruby listened carefully.

"The whistles?"  
"Yeah." Jace said. She looked back to the boy and noticed he was eating one of Ruby's cookies. "The cookie, did he pay for it?"

"Yeah, actually gave one of the castle's coins for it, I thought it was a little weird, but money's money and he's like what? Six?" Ruby said.

"Can I see the coin?" Jace asked. Ruby dug out the sack that kept the money of the stand. She pulled out the coin and handed to her. Jace rolled it over her fingers and looked at the insignias. Sure enough it was her family's coin. Typically, the only people who had these coins were those employed by the crown. Jace faintly remembered one of the foresters saying he had been robbed, saying men dressed in all green had robbed him. She thought nothing of it at the time, despite the mass amounts of messengers who had come on King John's behalf asking her and her mother to watch the woods to their east for a man who was calling himself Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Jace chuckled quietly, the boy must've been one of the group members' kids and they gave him the coin to buy something for himself while they were here. "I'll go talk to him."

"Are you sure that's a good idea your highness?"

"No, but it's worth a shot." Jace said. She returned the coin to Ruby and walked over to the boy, the dogs trotting at her side. She kneeled down to his level and gave him a smile. "How're the cookies?" She asked. The boy looked slightly frightened at her presence. Though that might've also partially could be attributed to the two massive dogs currently trying to investigate him and his food.

"They're good your highness." He said. Jace smiled at him. Leviathan decided he was bored and sat down next to the rock the boy was sitting on, while Valhalla kept trying to lick the poor kid's cheek. He didn't seemed to mind all that much.

"That's fantastic to hear, I'll pass word along to the cook." She looked around and faintly heard the whistles still coming. "You know, I believe that there's someone looking for you. Two short whistles and a long one." The little boy stood up at this. This shocked Leviathan and Valhalla into standing next to him, the dogs nearly taller than the boy.

"Your highness I must go!" He said starting to run off.

"Wait!" the boy stopped briefly. "What's your name?"

"Will,"

"Will, tell your band that the forester deserved it." Jace said with a smile. The boy nodded and ran off into the trees. Jace and the dogs walked back over to Ruby's stand and leaned against it.

"You don't believe him about his name?" Ruby asked.

"No, I have a feeling he gives it to everyone who asks. No hesitation giving it. Must be a middle name or a frequent alias." Jace said. She turned to see her mother looking at her. "I have to go, good luck Ruby." She said walking over to her mother, Leviathan and Valhalla trotting next to her.

"Hello mother," She said with a nod.

"Jace, I'm sorry to tell you that we're hosting King John and his Sheriff for dinner." Her mother said. Jace knew that she was genuinely sorry, her mother disliked the King as much as Jace did. She was just less vocal about it.

"Then since I'm most definitely needing to go on a forest run, I should go now?" Jace said trying to finish the rest of her mother's proclamation.

"Yes, that would be best. I'll need you back by the time the last light of the day is gone." Her mother said.

"Will do, I'm taking Calypso with me." Jace said.

"Is Fantasia not feeling well?" Her mother asked.

"No, it's just been a while since Calypso's been out, I figured she could use the exercise." Jace replied. She made her way to the barn, Leviathan and Valhalla quick on her heels. She entered and quickly grabbed her saddle. Leviathan picked up a quiver of arrows in his mouth with Valhalla carrying the bow. As Jace approached Calypso's stall, she unlocked it and slid in, making the dogs wait outside. She placed the saddle on Calypso's back and slid out of the stall to put the quiver and bow on her back. She quickly walked over to in front of Fantasia's stall where her sword laid against the door. Fantasia quickly looked up from his dinner and snorted at Jace. "I know boy, tomorrow I promise." She said. She went over to Calypso's stall and after attaching the sword to her hip, she tightened the girth on the saddle, swung the door open, got the horse out of the stall and popped on. Quietly, Jace and the dogs walked out of the stable before they got to the tiny courtyard that led to the woods. With a smirk on her lips, she kicked Calypso on and they all took off into the woods.

 ** _A/N: For those who have done this rodeo with me before, welcome back, to those who haven't: welcome! My update schedule is non existent and my canon is nowhere to be found, I strongly dislike Outlaw Queen (no offense to you if you do, just not my speed) so voila, OC centric fic. Have fun see you in CH2_**


	2. Chapter 2

Jace rode through the woods with Leviathan and Valhalla running at top speed next to Calypso. Jace had untied her hair from her maid's orderly bun and braid and let the black mess of hair run down her back and in the wind, not even caring about catching twigs in it. She pushed Calypso forward, even though they were already at top speed. She knew at some point she'd have to slow down, but right now putting enough space between her and the castle would be enough. She understood the need to have King John over, they did share a border wood the very one she was riding through. But the man was crazy! She couldn't hold her tongue around him, which led to very disastrous baron meetings, especially when because the way the boarder falls, were his supporters in her kingdom. She constantly feared for her possible coronation, because that would be the first thing she'd have to deal with. Jace slowed Calypso to a walk and Leviathan and Valhalla came back to walking by Calypso's side. She looked in the bag, that she always had attached to her saddle, no matter the journey, and made sure her pants, shirt, dagger, and crossbow were inside. Sure enough they were, and Jace decided this was as good of a time as any. She tied Calypso to a low hanging branch and left Leviathan to guard her on one side, and Valhalla the other side. She dived into a thick collection of bushes so that she couldn't see anything outside. She was thankful her maid let her skip the corset this morning, so with a little struggle she got her pants over her boots and her shirt on. She pulled herself out of the bush and looked around.

"Valhalla?" She asked. That was followed by faint growling. "Valhalla!" She yelled. Jace quickly went for her saddlebag with her dagger and put it in her hand in case the dog was dragging someone. Or something. Valhalla came back with a scrap of fabric in her mouth. Jace kneeled down and held her hand out. Valhalla dropped the scrap into her hand and Jace examined it. It's probably wool and it looks worn, like it's been someone's only set of clothing for a while.

"Where the hell did that dog go? Where did it come from?" She heard someone ask. Jace stood up and Valhalla and Leviathan both assumed guard dog mode, both at their respective hips and position to launch 180 pounds at the person creeping out of the bushes. Suddenly a man much larger than Jace came out of the forest with the bottom of his shirt torn by something, due to the matching scrap of fabric in her hand, this was Valhalla's victim. Both dogs were growling at the man with a look of death upon their muzzles.

"Easy you two, don't pass judgment yet." Jace said. The man suddenly turned to Jace. She noted that he had a bow and quiver and a quarter staff in hand. She was severely outmatched and she was quietly regretting calling the dogs down. They sat next to her but neither of them softened as they typically would when told to stand down. The man looked at the dogs and then at Jace.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm of no importance, what did you do to deserve the wrath of my hound?" Jace asked. She was putting on so much air, she was afraid she'd start floating off the ground, but until she figured out if this guy was friend or foe, she had to. She swiftly hid her dagger against her arm until she felt the need to draw it.

"Funny, you're riding a castle horse, so I'm finding it hard to believe you are of no importance." The man said. Leviathan growled and stood in front of Jace as the man made a half step toward her. Leviathan: more reliable than any royal guard she'd ever had. Valhalla had started a perimeter scout, trotting around the small clearing they were in. Valhalla barked and another man appeared out of the bushes. This one was much thinner with a bow in hand and an arrow knocked.

"Bloody hell!" He exclaimed as Valhalla went for the bow to tug it out of his hand. With the first man's back turned, Leviathan looked up at Jace who promptly nodded. Leviathan squared himself to pounce, and pounce he did. Leviathan launched himself to hit the man's shoulders and knocked him off balance. He jumped off of him which gave the man an opportunity to sit up slightly. Leviathan just jumped for his shoulders again and pinned him down. Valhalla had gotten the bow out of the other man's hand and brought to Jace. Jace took the bow and looked it over, seeing if it had any weird symbols that could lead her to figuring out, who these men worked for or belonged to. She didn't immediately see anything, unless the leather hand grip was covering something up.

"I suggest giving the man his bow back." A voice said behind Jace. Valhalla was there immediately growling. Jace shifted her dagger to her hand and spun around with the dagger at the ready. The first thing that Jace accounted for was how handsome the man was. It nearly tripped her up until Valhalla barked and she snapped back into survival mode.

"I suggest your first man answer my question, what did he do to tip my dog off?"

"No offence lady, but your dogs' seem pretty jumpy to start with." The man whose bow she held said. Jace turned toward him with a death glare. She wasn't going to pull her rank card yet, but it was now in her hand.

"Leviathan and Valhalla have been my guards since I was 9 years old. There's no guard I trust more." Jace said.

"Again, lady…"

"Will, that's enough." The man who currently had an arrow aimed at her. Jace smirked she had a name. Wait, that name rang a bell. She looked down at the bow in her hand and then across at the bow in the other man's hand. She took in his appearance and took note of his green heavy, clothing. She raised her eyebrow.

"You're Robin Hood?" She said. The man in front of her lowered his bow and laxed his arrow. Jace sheathed her dagger and walked over to Calypso, who was trying to tug at the branch, she went over to the saddle bag and pulled out a small bag of coins. She tossed it to the man who just a moment before was aiming to shoot her. But she had taken a note of something before announcing that she knew who he was. He was aiming just over her shoulder, at the tree behind her. He was never going to take the shot. Robin looks at her with curiosity as she started to untie her horse from the branch. He was almost impressed at her courageousness, but she seemed to know something he didn't and that pissed him off.

"Who are you?" He asked. Jace looked over at him and started to get on Calypso.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She said. Robin strode over to her and grabbed her shoulder.

"How do you know who I am?"  
"King John refuses to shut up about you, and as I'm forced to sit with him at dinner tonight, I figured this is a bribe to stay out of my kingdom for the night, I've been hearing from some of my people say that you've been coming in and out for supplies, and I'm fine with that, just not tonight." Jace said. She didn't notice it, but the man with the quarterstaff had taken a knee. Jace looked over and Will hesitantly was as well.

"You're the princess who showed up the barons." Robin finally said. Jace chuckled.

"My specialty is showing people up. My name is Jacelyn Jones, please call me Jace." She said offering her hand to Robin.

"A pleasure to meet you your highness, Robin of Locksley, but you can call me Robin Hood." He said taking her hand. Jace gestures for Will and the other man to stand. "This is Will Scarlet and Little John, members of my Merry Men." He added. Jace smiled at the both of them.

"A pleasure to meet both of you, and apologies for Leviathan and Valhalla." Jace said. Both dogs softened and Valhalla trotted over to Will, nudging his hand into petting her. Will reluctantly pet the door, seemingly afraid of what would happen if he denied the dog. Valhalla leaned against him as he pet her.

"Did I hear you correctly saying that you were having King John for dinner tonight?" Will asked. Jace sighed.

"Unfortunately yes, not my idea, and based on my mother's reaction, not hers either. Most likely the barons in effort to "keep our neighbor happy." But if you want my honest opinion, damn the neighbor's happiness." She said. Robin chuckled and kept the smile on his face.

"Then your highness, I'm afraid we can't take the coin."

"Okay one, cut the formalities, just Jace will do. And two, then I'll take dinner, I think I smell venison cooking and then consider the coin as payment for the meal." Jace said. Robin nodded.

"That'll work," he looked to Will and Little John. "Tell the others I'm bringing a guest, I'll walk her in." he added. Little John and Will looked to each other suspiciously and walked into the forest. Robin offered his arm to Jace.

"Let me guess, I'm coming in through the visitors entrance?" Jace guessed.

"You don't let much slide now do you?"

"The only heir, I can't afford to, or bigger army diplomacy will have my hide." Jace said as she accepted Robin's arm. The duo started into the woods, Calypso nudged Jace's arm. She promptly threw the horse's bridle over her head and encouraged the horse and two hounds to follow her. Which they did, Leviathan next to Jace and Valhalla next to Robin.

"You weren't kidding about these dogs were you?"  
"They go where I go."

"Then they are welcome as well."

"Good, otherwise we'll be having words."

And thus, Jace went deeper into the woods than she ever thought she would.


	3. Chapter 3

Jace walked deeper into the woods than she thought she ever would, only partially because they were encroaching on King John's kingdom and she typically would do anything to stay away from the border. But since she sort of invited herself to this shindig, it was only fair that she mask her fear of getting caught. Robin cleared some branches and on the other side was a clearing with a fire burning in the middle. Jace stepped through followed by Robin. A couple of the Merry Men looked up at both Robin and the visitor. A couple tried to subtly reach for their weapons but Robin seemed to catch their actions. He glared at them and they put down the weapons.

"Boss, who's this?" One of the men asked. Robin turned to Jace and gestured her to introduce herself as she thought appropriate. Jace smiled at Robin for giving her the option.

"Jace, and I'm just here for dinner." She said. Some of the men laughed and one of them with a lute finally stopped long enough to speak.

"Robin, do you have a tracker on all the pretty women who come into the forest?" He said.

"None of that Allan, no need to make our guest feel uncomfortable." Robin replied with authority. Jace chuckled.

"No need to defend my honor Hood, I'm perfectly capable of showing them up, should the challenge arise." She said with a smirk. Robin seemed to brace himself, knowing his men would take up the option. Sure enough, Will stood up with his bow in hand.

"I'll take ya up on that." He said. Jace's smirk turned somehow more devious.

"To a shoot off?" She asked. Will nodded once. That was enough for Jace, "then I'm afraid I'm gonna need a bow, I've only got a crossbow on me." Alan stood up and handed her his bow, which Jace inspected carefully to make sure it wasn't tampered with. She grabbed an arrow from the quiver. "What's the target?" She asked.

"The center of that sigil on the tree." Will said. Jace looked over at the tree that was being pointed at. She noted how small the circle was, but she wasn't willing to break her challenge streak. So she notched the arrow and drew quickly, taking seconds to aim before firing. The group was silent as the arrow flew through the air and struck the tree. Robin and Little John went to judge it. While it wasn't dead center, it was pretty damn close that without breaking out other tools, Robin was willing to call it center.

"Its center gents," He said. The crowd looked to each other when another man broke the silence.

"Welcome to dinner Jace." He said.

"Always were the kiss up weren't you Arthur," Will joked.

"And you were always the drunkard." Arthur retorted. The two got into a small squabble, but the laughter from the others indicated that this was something that happened frequently. Jace chuckled quietly as Robin came over and offered her a plate.

"Courtesy of the Merry Men of Sherwood." He said. Jace took the plate and laughed as Leviathan and Valhalla bounced around the other men in order to trip them into giving the dogs their food.

"Thank you for all of this Robin." She said.

"Anything for a benefactor." He said with a joking smile. Jace quietly chuckled hoping it was too dark to see her blush. The fire kept threatening to die, no matter how much wood Little John chucked onto it.

"You're smothering it," Jace said as she set her food down as she reorganized the fire with little regard to being burned. For bonus measures, she lit her hand slightly aflame, reigniting the dying embers in hopes to get it going. As she pulled her hands out, the fire was roaring once more. She picked up her plate again and carried it to a tree where she promptly sat down and proceeded to start eating. Leviathan trotted over from messing with Alan and laid down next to her as a warning. A little boy was playing with Valhalla. With firelight being the key source of light at this point, it was hard to tell if it was the same boy, but she had to assume it was, though there was a case of whose son it was. Jace didn't particularly care, and when she had finished her cut of venison, she handed the bone to Leviathan to chew on for a bit. Robin joined her after talking to Will and Alan about something.

"Mind if I?" He asked. Jace gestured for him to go ahead and Robin lowered himself in order so sit next to her. They sat in relative silence, just looking at the boisterous group of men in front of them.

"Are they always like this?" Jace asked.

"Most of the time, they're good men. They just unwind by insulting and beating each other up." Robin said.

"Not entirely my idea of a good time, but hey, whatever works for ya." She said. Robin chuckled and sighed.

"Yeah well, if they don't they bicker to the point where you wished you were deaf." He said. Jace smiled at the exasperation in his tone, like that had happened once and he had learned to never let it happen again. Jace looked over at Robin.

"So how long have you been living like this?"

"About a year? Maybe more. Roland was 3, and he just turned four, so yeah, about a year." He replied. Jace looked pretty impressed.

"I'm assuming Roland's the little boy who's playing with Valhalla who told me earlier that his name was Will?" She asked. Robin smiled with pride at that.

"That would be him, I've taught him well. This is by no means the life I wanted for him, but sadly, this is the one he has." He said.

"He seems like a good kid." She said.  
"I can only hope so." Robin said. The duo fell into a comfortable silence. When something peaked Jace's ears. The sound of thunderous hooves by the dozen. She looked to the sky and noticed how low the sky had dipped.

"Oh shit!" Jace yelled as she stood up. She whistled quickly and Valhalla reported her side as did Leviathan. "Thank you for everything Robin, but unless you have the sudden urge to get raided by foresters, I have to go, I'll lead them away. Thank you for the hospitality." She said as she managed to get onto Calypso. She gathered up the reins and was about to dart off when Robin came to her side.

"Will we see you again your highness?" He asked.

"If I could ever be so lucky." She said with a smile. Robin smile back and took her hand, kissing it quickly.

"Then safe travels princess." He said. Jace blushed but nodded. She turned Calypso and urged her on, taking off into the woods, Valhalla and Leviathan sprinting close behind. They made it into the clearing that was just off the edge of the camp where she found two of her mother's foresters and two of King John's men.  
"Your highness, what a welcome sight it is to see you." One of her men said. She rolled her eyes and noticed he had the horn.

"Call off the search and let's just get back to the castle." She muttered. The man nodded and blew the horn. Loud enough that within a couple of minutes all of the men who had come out had returned. The horses rode in procession with Jace, Valhalla, and Leviathan in front. They rode back to the castle where she got off and passed Calypso off to a stable hand. "Treat her well, she deserves it." She said. The stable hand nodded and led the horse away. Jace walked to the main banquet hall with Valhalla and Leviathan trotting alongside. When the guards opened the doors. The suddenness of the gesture made the room go silent and barely enough people recognized her enough that they stood up. Soon enough the whole banquet hall stood and Jace subtly rolled her eyes.

"Jacelyn, what a time for you to join us." King John said with a snide smile. Jace looked to the room.

"Be seated, no need for such formalities." She said. The hall sat and Jace returned her attention to the vile king who was sitting at the main table. "And King John, an unfortunate evening that I have to deal with you."

"Jace where have you been, I've been worried?" Her mother asked. Jace smiled at her.

"Sorry mother, I lost track of time, I was sitting under a tree and must've dozed off." Jace said. She left out the information about Robin's men. The less her mother knew the better.

"Unfortunate to hear, but perhaps you should join us for dinner." King John said.

"No need, I've eaten." She said. "Just tell me what you've come to discuss and we can all move on with our lives."

"You are aware of the forest that we share on our eastern border correct?"

"Intimately familiar with it yes, what's the point?" She asked. Jace was starting to wish she had napped in her time in the woods.

"Well, unfortunately, an outlaw has escaped to those woods. He's a nuisance and an insult to my authority-"

"Your majesty, I'm gonna stop you there, what has this outlaw have to do with us?" Jace asked. She was tired and had no time to deal with King John's nonsense.

"I'm asking that if you see him in your kingdom that you arrest him and alert me immediately." Jace looked to her mother with a look of are you fucking kidding me, is this guy serious? She took a deep breath and glared at him with an unstoppable fury.

"Your majesty, with all due respect, what makes you think you can come into my kingdom and order for the arrest of a man who hasn't broken any laws in my kingdom?" He looked skittery but didn't want to seem like it so he fought to cover it. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've had a long day, I'm retiring early, the sun from earlier is finally getting to me." She said. Jace turned on her heel and left the banquet hall, letting the door slam behind her. Valhalla and Leviathan followed her as she went up the castle stairs and into her bedroom where she unceremoniously flopped onto her bed and promptly passed out.


End file.
